Recent storms are to blame for a sewage spill in Apple Valley that has forced the closure of three public wells serving nearby Oro Grande and threatened wells on 39 properties, officials said Tuesday.

Workers at the Victorville-based Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority treatment plant discovered the spill on Dec. 28 but have been unable to determine how much sewage has leaked into the Mojave River.

Water from the river serves public and private drinking wells downstream. And that has prompted reclamation authority officials to urge residents along the Mojave River between Oro Grande and most of Victorville to avoid contact with river water.

“Our No.1 priority is always to protect human health and the environment, no exceptions,” said Logan Olds, general manager of the Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority, in a statement.

Wells on 39 properties could be threatened by contamination, but county officials plan to contact all of those residents to get their water tested, San Bernardino County spokesman David Wert said.

“Our focus is on getting ahold of these property owners and telling them that they need to get their wells tested,” Wert said.

Such tests – on private wells – are often made by private testers, though the Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority has offered to do testing for residents along the Mojave River, Wert said.

Despite elevated bacteria levels found in three of four public wells that were closed near the Mojave Narrows, officials said public tap water is safe to drink because it comes from the fourth well, which is clean.

Officials continue to monitor it, Wert added.

The three wells were shut down and there’s been no threat found to people along the river served by local water companies, Wells said.

Operators at the Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority were alerted to the damage in the local sewer system when they noticed unusual water-flow levels.

“Operators at our plant noticed we were getting less flow than usual, so they investigated the problem and noticed it was leaking out,” said Ryan Orr, spokesman for the Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority.

Officials say the rain-drenched river caused sand and debris to infiltrate pipelines that transport wastewater from Hesperia, Apple Valley, Victorville and some other areas to the water treatment facility. The lines – 36 inches in diameter – carry between 8million and 9million gallons of sewage per day to the treatment facility.

The debris created a partial blockage in a main pipeline, resulting in a spill below the river, which runs from the San Bernardino Mountains to Baker. The source of the spill is north of Mojave Narrows Regional Park and south of Highway 18.

That has officials planning to distribute fliers to residents who may be affected, indicating that they should limit the amount of tap water consumed.

“It’s perfectly safe for bathing, laundry and animals, but until we get done with testing, we won’t know what the impact is,” Orr said.

Contractors have begun a $3 million project to bypass the damaged pipeline – a project that could reach $15 million, officials said.

“We are working very closely with federal, state and local agencies to make the repairs as quickly and safely as possible,” said Logan Olds, general manager of the reclamation authority.

Among those agencies are officials with the state Department of Fish and Game, the Army Corps of Engineers and state water quality control personnel. Orr said about 100 people are involved in the project.

All work on the bypass line is expected to be completed this weekend.

Residents connected to the municipal water system are not affected by the spill because Oro Grande’s uncontaminated well is able to meet the town’s demands.

“If it doesn’t, they should be able to connect them with Victorville’s water system,” Wert said.

For residents, businesses and other entities with private wells near the river between Victorville and Oro Grande, call Toni Henning at the Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority at 760-948-9849, ext. 106, to have water tested for bacteria.

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